


Then day passed away and night coming on

by lesbiantogruta



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: M/M, heres to never moving on where is my boy, its me just throwing whatever out like....im still coping, started this like a year ago ahbjkd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-06-24 03:52:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19715674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesbiantogruta/pseuds/lesbiantogruta
Summary: In the dead of the night, Caleb has a visitor.





	Then day passed away and night coming on

**Author's Note:**

> Loosely based on Lady Margaret + that scene in American Gods where Laura visits Shadow.

In the late night and the dim candlelight Caleb Widogast continued as if in a trance to copy as much as he could into his spellbook. His fingers ink stained, his eyes heavy, he drifted for a moment before rubbing at his eyes to keep himself awake.

Nott was curled up in her bed, all her sheets she had taken and made a nest of, her faint snores echoed in the small room and Caleb planned to follow her lead soon and sleep. His hand cramping as he began to finish the last spell, a sudden tap came from the window.

He paused. Hand stilled, there was no sound for a while. He strained his hearing, planned to get back to finishing when it came again, louder this time. Caleb hadn’t imagined it. Nott remained asleep and Caleb rose from where he had been sitting at the small writing desk from the hard and splintered wood of the chair.

More taps came, this time, rhythmic. It was familiar. He didn’t think as the rapping now took on a song he had heard before, his body and hands moving on their own as he opened the latch and peered into the night.

“Finally! I thought I would have to jump through before you’d open.” a voice, too familiar, and yet not, it was gravelly, worn, but he knew it. He stood aside to let them in. The figure moved, that same grace still there–perhaps not grace, an easiness? but just the way in which they moved was enough to make him want to set off fireworks, to run to everyone’s rooms and start a party. But he stood stiff and movements slow as he turned to close the window again.

His guest took a seat in the chair near the candle and Caleb could see them clearly now.

Mollymauk Tealeaf sat there in the clothes they had buried him in.

He had his coat wrapped around him Caleb noted, though it was weather stained and the colors had faded. Molly’s eyes glowed as brightly as they had before, but he was dirt covered, with streaks of crusted blood and dust in his hair–longer now, matted in places. His face was sallow, Caleb noted, and sunken in–and in the faint light the shadows stretched across his face giving him the appearance of well, similar to the husks they had faced in the circus tent that first night.

Mollymauk slumped over for a moment, a horrible wheezing noise came forth as he clutched as his chest. Before Caleb could think of what to say Molly spoke in a ragged, thin voice, "Could you find me a smoke–a drink, anything?"

Caleb nodded, not daring to speak yet. and turned out into the hall, to the bar. a burst of vertigo, giddiness, it was hard to stop a strange creeping smile as he walked out into the main area where people still milled about even though it was well past exactly 2:26.

He approached the counter where a tired looking half orc woman nodded to him as he pushed credits out for a pipe and any form of tobacco she could find. She found him an older looking black pipe and something she informed him was called ‘Whiskey in the Jar'o’, it seemed like something Molly would enjoy. With an afterthought, he also brought back an ale.

These he offered to Molly who seemed all to happy to accept. He nodded approvingly to the pipe.

"Light it for me?”

Caleb did so, though, he used a tinderbox.

Molly drew back, inhaled deeply, blew smoke from his mouth, a rattling breath. The tiefling then took a long drink, “That’s better..better.” his eyes close briefly extinguishing the burning red. “Or it would be..I can’t hardly taste it.” those eyes opened again and Molly’s face was screwed up with something like tears of frustration forming.

“It may have not been the best quality. We’ll find better for you, friend. I promise.” Caleb found Molly crying here to be the worst possible thing that could happen at the moment, he found himself wanting to say, _I would buy you a hundred different pipes and whatever fascinating drug you wished to try, whatever alcohol strikes your fancy..anything Mollymauk Tealeaf. For you._

“I’m sorry. This wasn’t how I imagined it, Mr. Caleb. I-Just everything is different.”

“It’s alright..” Caleb let him smoke for a moment more. Molly just frowned, waited.

“How did you come back?” Caleb finally thought to ask.

“Yasha,” Molly answered simply.

He pulled from his pocket a pendant, stylized blue lightning and red gems set into it. “She had favor. I’m helping her now.”

They sat in a long silence, Caleb let it soak in. Finally, Molly’s tail lashed at once, he removed the pipe from his mouth and looked bitter. “It’s doing nothing!”

Caleb watched in shock as tears rolled in huge droplets down Molly’s cheeks and the tiefling gripped at his head in frustration pulling out locks of his thick purple hair. It didn’t seem to even make him flinch he just watched as the hair fell, looking decidedly miserable, angry. Caleb made to approach him stop those hands from hurting himself further when Molly suddenly reeled up, standing, wiping at his face.

“You _left_ me. Under there. Under the dirt, _again_. I was alone–It was so cold you can’t imagine it. I _hated_ it.” the accusations hurt like a slap.

“I-I’m sorry, Mollymauk–we–there was nothing–”

Molly barked a out a cold laugh like stone.

“Don’t tell me there was nothing you could do. There’s always something. I didn’t want to be alone–oh _gods_.”

His voice was quiet. “It’s almost like nothing was real. Nothing is real. I want to feel angry or sad but there’s so much nothing. I can cry but I don’t–think–I’m still so cold, nothing warms me.” Molly looked away.

“I’m messing this up. I should go.”

“No,” Caleb reached for Molly’s hand, “Don’t go.”

It was like gripping ice, but Caleb held on tightly.

Molly looked at him, “My heart..” he had squeezed Caleb’s hand back.

“What?”

Molly gestured to the necklace, “You took that?”

Caleb fumbled for a moment reaching to give it back. Molly at once shook his head. a soft expression formed across his face. “Keep it. Consider it a gift. I won’t need it anymore, anyways.”

Caleb began to ask what he meant by that, when Molly kissed him.

It was gentle, three pecks to his mouth. Twice he kissed Caleb’s cheek, and once he lifted Caleb’s hand to his mouth to press another kiss against skin. His lips were like snow, freezing Caleb to the bone and he tasted grave-dirt on his lips. But, he savored each touch.

Slowly, he pulled back, stroking the back of Caleb’s hand, as he let go. Caleb still felt the phantom touch.

“Stay safe. I can only protect you all so much.”

Mollymauk stepped back into the shadows, resembling that cooling corpse he had been. As he put a foot over the ledge to go back out into the night, he turned, “Before this is over, I’m sure you’ll ask me to stay one night, Mr. Caleb.” he blew a kiss and jumped out with a sense of lingering grace.

Caleb watched, the taste of Molly lingering in his mouth, a wind from the open window causing the flame from the candles to nearly be snuffed out.

He could hear a rumble of thunder, lightning struck in the distance, he fancied he saw Mollymauk Tealeaf’s illuminated form, the dead returned, despite their non-efforts. It felt like guilt, a dream from too many regrets, but the discarded used pipe remained, the feeling of kisses remained. he doubted he would forget that. when exhaustion took him finally propped up in his chair, he dreamed of a vibrant Mollymauk, one so different than the one who had visited him, one so happy, so full of life, when he awoke he could feel a sob beginning.

**Author's Note:**

> https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/251408-greenbow-tobacco  
> for the name of the tobacco used


End file.
